GOC OFFERS TO HOST MEETING OF SENIOR DANISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000197 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2021 TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KISL DA LE SY GR CY SUBJECT: GOC OFFERS TO HOST MEETING OF SENIOR DANISH OFFICIALS WITH SYRIAN AND LEBANESE COUNTERPARTS REF: ATHENS 373 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher; Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Danish Ambassador Svend Waever told Ambassador Schlicher on February 10 that the President's Diplomatic Advisor, Tasos Tzionis, had just called him with an offer to host a meeting on Cyprus between senior officials from Copenhagen and their counterparts from Damascus and Beirut to discuss ways to cool tempers over the ongoing cartoon controversy. This is consistent with the information FM Molyviatis shared with Ambassador Ries in Athens on February 8 (reftel). Waever did not yet have a reaction from Copenhagen, but expected -- at a minimum -- that there would be little enthusiasm for any initiative that lumped Syria and Lebanon together. The situations in these two countries were quite different, and the GOD would not want to take any action that might blur the distinctions. ¶2. (C) Waever agreed with the Ambassador that any move in this direction would have to take into account the issue of contact with the Turkish Cypriots. Everything on Cyprus ultimately gets wrapped up in the Cyprus issue, and it would be important to ensure that any move towards accepting Papadopoulos' offer did nothing to disadvantage the Turkish Cypriots or further complicate efforts to get settlement negotiations back on track. ¶3. (C) Waever stressed that he was grateful for the help we had offered with respect to the security of his operations in Nicosia. For the time being, he did not believe there was an immediate risk of violence directed against Danish interests on Cyprus. He was obviously watching this closely and cooperation with the GOC had so far been excellent. SCHLICHER